


Something Darker than Black

by Starr_Burst



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Regulus Black Feels, Regulus Black Lives, Regulus Black-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:21:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29086041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starr_Burst/pseuds/Starr_Burst
Summary: He was quite positive that he was supposed to be dead. He remembered everything – the cave, the horcrux, the potion, Kreacher and the inferi.Is this heaven? No, this was just August of 1995.Regulus Black is back.
Relationships: Regulus Black & Harry Potter, Regulus Black & Sirius Black
Comments: 20
Kudos: 78





	1. Black is Back, Alright!

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyo!! Hope you like the chapter! 
> 
> I know this isn't my best work but I'm still figuring out how to write their dynamic so I expect next chapter will be a bit better :)

Darkness. That’s all there was for quite a while. Regulus Arcturus Black was supposed to be dead. He was positive he died. He remembered everything – the cave, the potion, the horcrux, the inferi. And Kreacher. Was Kreacher okay? Did he get home safe? Did he destroy the horcrux?

He opened his eyes slowly, taking some time to adjust to the harsh white light. Where was he? Was this heaven?

He felt something odd sticking out of his arm – a tube with transparent fluid running through it. He moved to pull it out. 

“I would strongly advice against that, sir.” A dreamy voice warned him. 

Struggling, he sat up and was met with the calculating gaze of a rather pretty nurse. 

“W- Where am I?” His voice broke. 

“St. Bernard’s Hospital, South London,” She replied, writing something down on a chart. “Glad to see you awake.”

He nodded. He took in his surroundings – a row of 6 hospital beds lined the room with the same monotonous white, a window showed the sun setting outside.  
“Do you remember anything, sir? You gave a poor lady in Islington a fright when you popped up in front of her car out of nowhere. She almost ran over you, bless her soul.”

Islington? Wasn’t that where Grimmauld Place was? 

He put his head in his hands. Merlin, why was everything so _loud_ right now?

“Sir, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, thank you.” He replied, quite obviously not okay. 

“Right, I’ll go get Dr. Scott now-” The nurse started walking towards the door when – 

“That won’t be necessary, love,” A new voice interrupted. “ _Obliviate_.”

The nurse had a blank look for a second before walking out the door and into the bustling corridor, seeming to forget about the two red-headed boys in the room.  
“A- Arthur? And Arthur? Why’re there two of you?” Regulus said, confused, looking between the two boys. 

One of them laughed. “No, I’m Fred.” 

“And I’m George Weasley!” 

Regulus squinted at them. “Where am I?” 

“Didn’t the nurse tell you, silly?”

“Why, you’re in St. Bernard’s Hospital, of course!”

“And we’re here to rescue you!”

“Now, what’s your name?” 

“Regulus. Regulus Black.” 

The boys exchanged a look. “That can’t be possible, sir.” 

“We’re quite sure Regulus Black is dead.”

“Is this heaven then?” He asked, wondering how he made it to heaven with all the horrible, terrible, catastrophic things he had done. 

The boys laughed. 

“We’d better get you to Headquarters, then.” One of them grabbed his hand. 

“The Order will want to speak to you.” 

Before he could protest, however, the world was nothing but swirling colours and white noise. 

It was an unnervingly mundane August evening at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. They keyword being ‘was’. It was going well, with Sirius breaking out his Scotch early and Molly in the kitchen, cooking up a storm and Ron, Hermione and Ginny doing God knows what, God knows where, until Fred and George Weasley stumbled into the kitchen with a disgruntled looking figure, understandably giving Sirius quite a fright. 

The aforementioned ‘disgruntled looking fellow’ then proceeded to puke his guts out on the good carpet. 

No soon after the fella straightened up did Sirius leap out his chair, pressing his wand into the newcomer’s neck. 

“Sirius? Is that you? You look so…old.” 

“You’ve got some guts impersonating my brother, eh?” 

“No, Sirius, it’s really me!” The man insisted, looking shaken and wide-eyed. 

The argument went on for a couple of minutes before Molly came bursting through the door, smelling of pork grinds. 

“What, in Merlin’s name, is going on here?” She exclaimed, looking at the mayhem in front of her. “Is that…Regulus Black?” She asked, vaguely remembering the Slytherin 4 years below her. 

“Hullo, Molly. Glad to see you’re well, except you’ve aged quite a bit. So, I’m starting to gather we aren’t in 1978, then?” Regulus asked, unnervingly calm. 

“What have you done this time?” She sighed, directing the question at the twins this time. 

"Why do you always assume _we_ did something?" George asked, amused. his mother gave him a pointed look. 

Fred shrugged. “We were on watch, as you know.”

“And this fella here apparated right in the middle of the road.” George continued. 

“Gave the poor lady across the street quite a nightmare, he did.”

“And she took him to the hospital.”

“It was obvious he was one of us.”

“Couldn’t let him rot in a muggle hospital, could we, Fred?” 

“No, we couldn’t, George!” 

“So, we went on a little rescue rendezvous!” He finished triumphantly. 

It was safe to say Molly looked positively raging mad. “In Merlin’s name, you could’ve out us all in danger- What on Earth were you thinking- Ah, right, you weren’t- Wait till your father hears of this!”

“Erm… Molly? I’m sorry to interrupt your…breakdown, but I don’t think I’m feeling quite well.” Regulus said and then puked all over Sirius’ shirt. Again. He didn’t take the sudden apparition well. 

_____  
After what felt like an eternity, Regulus opened his eyes, except this time, he knew exactly where he was. He was in his room. 

Everything was just the way he left them – his desk, with the lamp on, gathering dust. His case with his 7th year schoolbooks snuggled away in a corner where he’d thrown them all those years ago. He could feel the bump of his journal under the mattress where he’d hidden it. He sat up, taking in the rest of his room. 

There was a knock on the door and Molly let herself in. “Dumbledore’s here. He wants to talk to you now.” 

He nodded and she moved aside, letting the old man in. it felt weird sitting in the same room, talking with the man his old boss feared unconditionally.  
“How are you feeling tonight, Mr. Black?” 

Regulus scrunched up his nose. “I’m doing quite well, all things considered, Professor. Though, I have to request you to not call me by my last name, it brings back…memories.” 

“Ah,” Dumbledore smiled. “Of course, Regulus. Do you have anything you need to tell me?” 

Regulus looked down, suddenly feeling ashamed. “I’m sorry, professor. I know you might not believe it but I really am. I know I’m in no places to make excuses but I want you to know that I didn’t join them willingly. I just wanted my family- I just wanted my mother to be proud of me.”

Dumbledore smiled, but it looked almost sinister in a way he couldn’t explain. “Of course, Regulus. But I’m not the person you need to be telling these things to, your brother is downstairs waiting for you.” 

He nodded. Professor Dumbledore continued – “I trust you have some information on Voldemort for me.” 

“I believe the Dark Lord-”

“Voldemort, please.”

Regulus hesitated before continuing. “-Voldemort has divided his soul into several pieces, these things called horcruxes,” Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. “There are seven of them around Britain. I’ve found one in a cave he visited when he was still at the orphanage. I gave it to Kreacher to destroy it when the- the things, the inferi came after me I-” He trailed off, slipping his head in his hands, trying his hardest not to cry. 

“Hm, I did know that Tom created horcruxes…”

“Professor? How did I get here?” 

“Here in 1995, you mean? Why, you apparated here.” Dumbledore answered him, not unkindly. 

“Apparated? But that can't be possible! You can’t apparate over _time._ ”

Dumbledore chuckled. “You can, actually. Margaret Menagerie wrote quite a controversial article on it in 1698. Regulus, what were you thinking of when you ‘died’?” 

He thought for a while. “I was thinking of…home. My mother’s laugh, Sirius making purple smoke come out of his wand when he wanted to cheer me up, my father telling his god-awful quidditch jokes… You’re telling me I subconsciously apparated ahead in time?” 

“Yes, you apparated to when Grimmauld Place needs you most.” 

They fell silent for a while. “I’m afraid I have to go now. We’ll catch up soon enough, I suppose.” Dumbledore got up to leave. 

“Professor? You’re going to go after the horcruxes, right?” The addressed nodded. “Let me help.”

Dumbledore shook his head. “You know too much for your own good, child.” 

And then, Regulus was alone in his room. 

_____  
“You traitor! I can’t believe I called you my son! You were on the right path, Regulus. It’s not too late to go back to our Dark Lord!”

“God, can someone shut her up?” Ron groaned as Sirius draped a cloth over his screaming portrait of a mother. 

He went over to the kitchen where the rest of the Order were sitting. 

“Oh, goody! You’re here!” Sirius made a beeline for Remus. 

“What’s this I hear about your brother being back?” Remus asked as Moly served mashed potatoes. 

“Your brother is back?” Ron asked incredulously, stuffing his face while Hermione looked at him with disgust. “How’d he die anyway?” 

“I don’t know, but I remember the death eaters being very angry afterwards. They said he betrayed Voldemort, didn’t they?” Remus nodded as Sirius explained. 

“That I did,” Regulus stood at the doorway, wiping his hands with his handkerchief. ( _Of course, he carries a handkerchief_ , Sirius thought.) “I’m Regulus Black.” 

There was a moment of silence. Sirius walked up to his brother, hesitating for a moment. Anyone would’ve thought he was going in for a hug but Sirius wouldn’t be Padfoot if he were that predictable, would he? Instead, he promptly gave Regulus a solid punch. 

“ _Fuck_ , Sirius! Probably deserved that though.” He said warily as he wiped the blood off his lip. 

Now, Sirius went in for a hug. Regulus hesitantly hugged him back. 

He wasn’t used to much physical affection from his family. They were very sophisticated people. 

“The last time I saw you…it was _years_ ago!”

“Obviously, you tadpole, that was like 18 years ago!” Sirius laughed. 

Pulling away, Sirius finally introduced his brother to the rest of the staring Order. “Everyone, this is my brother, Reggie.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sorry, Reg, beggars can’t be choosers, eh?” Sirius gave his brother a smack as he sat down.

“Well, don’t just stand there! Take a seat!” Molly told him, pointing at the empty seat beside Ron. 

“Erm… I don’t know, I think it’s best if I go upstairs.” He said, nervous. The truth was, he didn’t think the Order would forgive him – a former death eater – and ask him to join them for supper. 

“Nonsense! It’ll be grand.” Arthur Weasley said. 

“Really?” He was confused. “Do they not know about… _that?_ ” He looked pointedly to Sirius. 

“That you were a death eater? They do.” Regulus paled at that. “But we can sort it out later, can’t we?” 

And so, Regulus took a seat beside Ron. 

“So, you’re alive then?” Hermione asked from beside Ron. 

“Guess I am.” 

“How?” 

Regulus explained the whole the whole concept of time travel apparition. 

“I’ll have to read up on it.” Hermione muttered; eyebrows knitted in thought. 

“But how did you ‘die’?” 

And so, Regulus explained the horcruxes to a horror-filled Order. 

“And you’re saying Dumbledore knew about this?” 

Regulus nodded. 

“But Dumbledore would’ve told us!” Lupin threw up his arms in the air. 

Regulus shrugged. “I have a feeling he’s not telling you all parts of the story.” 

_____  
Later that night, Sirius and Regulus were the only ones left in the dimly lit kitchen. Sirius twirled a bottle on the table, watching it tumble and come to a stop. 

“Listen, Regulus-”

“No, you listen to me first, Sirius,” Regulus interjected. “I want you to know I’m sorry. I know last thing you want to hear is excuses but I want you to know that I joined them to make mum proud of me. After you left, mum zeroed in on me and I just wanted to make her happy. I don’t expect you to forgive me, like, ever and I understand that but I really want you to know I’m sorry.” He took a long breath and slumped over the table, squeezing his eyes and hoped no tears would come out.  
“Oh, Reg, I- I don’t know what to say.” 

Regulus expected his brother to scream at him, call him a traitor, throw a mug across the room, perhaps. He didn’t expect his ever so talkative brother to be speechless. 

“I’m sorry.” Sirius finally said. 

“Why are you-”

“I said I’d be back for you but I never did,” It was Regulus’ turn to be speechless. 

“The Order won’t let you off the hook so easily, I suspect they’ll be watching you all day, all night but really, I forgive you. And I hope you forgive me one day too.”

The brothers lapsed into silence. This was not something they did often, talking about their feelings, that is. 

“Sirius, I hold nothing against you.” 

Sirius nodded curtly. “Same ‘ere.”

And they sat there in the kitchen of their childhood home, meters apart other but years away.


	2. Little Dark Age

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione and Ron take Regulus shopping in muggle London; Regulus finally meets his god nephew.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from the song - Little Dark Age by MGMT. 
> 
> I'm sorry if anything I wrote about London in 1995 is factually incorrect. If there's a mistake, please do let me know. 
> 
> Hope you like the chapter :)

“Boy, this Harry lad is getting into a lot of trouble, eh?” Regulus currently sat on the kitchen table; his toast left untouched. Remus let out a small hum. 

“You know he’s Sirius’ godson, don’t you?” 

Regulus’ eyes widened. “Sirius has a godson? Then why isn’t he living with him?” 

“Dumbledore gave him to Lily’s sister when the Potters died. Sirius was in Azkaban, wasn’t he?” 

“Sirius was in _Azkaban_?” He exclaimed. Tonks gave him a weird glance as she took a cereal box out the cupboard. 

“I don’t understand, why would he be in Azkaban?” Regulus leaned over the table and whisper-yelled.

“It’s not my story to tell.” 

Regulus gave him an exasperated sigh. 

_____

Sirius was right, the Order didn’t trust him at all. After various rounds of veritaserum tests, they concluded that he was, in fact, Regulus Arcturus Black and not some random death eater infiltrating their headquarters. 

They told him he had to be in sight of an Order member at all times, which Regulus thought was fair. Well, it was much better than he expected. 

Unfortunately, being only 18, he was checked off with the rest of the kids, which he thought was not fair. 

“I’d like to remind you that I deceived _Voldemort_ himself!” He shouted angrily before storming off like the mature person he was. 

And to make things worse, Regulus had no clothes – he was still stuck in the half torn, dirty robes he was wearing when he took the locket. 

His closet turned up to be empty, they must’ve given his clothes away after he disappeared back in 1978. Sirius had approximately two robes, and was unwilling to give either of them up and Ron’s clothes were too big on his lanky frame which resulted in Molly insisting Ron and Hermione take him to muggle London and get some clothes. 

“Why can’t we go to Diagon Alley? I know for a fact that Madame Malkins _adores_ me!”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “She just wanted to see you leave, Reg.”

“You’re just jealous she liked me better than you.” Regulus flashed his brother a smile. 

“Well, Ollivander loved me-”

“That was only because you broke your wand so many times, I swear, by 5th year, you were single-handedly supporting his business.” 

“Well, you-”

“That’s enough, both of you! I thought you would have some manners with the way you were brought up!” Molly threw up her hands. 

Regulus’ smile dropped. His upbringing was not something he wanted to think about now. 

“Sorry,” He mumbled. “So, why can’t I purchase my robes at Madame Malkins?” 

Molly explained that it would be catastrophic if anyone recognized him. Regulus nodded and said nothing more. 

Sirius knew his brother well. Regulus had taken the years to build up an emotional wall around himself. Sirius only assumed it got worse when he left in his 5th year. Walburga tolerated no sarcastic comments or humour. He was genuinely surprised when Regulus seemed more open and freer when he came back. 

He kind of liked Regulus that way – adding sarcastic comments when anyone said something stupid (which unsurprisingly happened a lot) and making dry jokes about anything and everything. And just like that, in a snap, the wall was back in place. Sirius despised Molly for that. 

_____

Hermione was glad when Molly asked her to take Ron and Regulus to muggle London. She hadn’t left Grimmauld in a good 2 weeks and she was starting to get antsy. As the three surprisingly normal looking teenagers walked down the road, she took in a deep breath. 

It was a cloudy day and the cool breeze was welcoming. 

Ron and Hermione talked about Harry and how they wished they could write to him or know if he’s okay but she knew they would know soon enough for Moody was going to go get Harry tonight. 

They turned a right onto the street. 

All the while, Regulus said nothing. To be honest, Hermione still felt a little nervous around him. He was only three years older than her but looked like he lived a thousand lives. She guessed that was what war did to people. 

“So, Regulus,” She said in an attempt to get him to talk. “How are you finding 1995?” 

He shrugged, looking at her. “It’s…weird. I still don’t get intranet and the small telephones.” 

“The _internet_.” She corrected him while Ron muttered, “You and me both, Black.” 

Regulus tensed at the mention of his last name but he kept walking. He looked ridiculous in Ron’s oversized red sweater and jeans. He had to roll up the jeans multiple times to make them fit. 

They finally reached a muggle clothing store. The bell jingled as they entered and the cashier looked up at them. “Welcome to British Home Stores!” 

Hermione gave her a polite nod and continued to make her way through the almost empty store. 

A couple of girls giggled at Regulus while they were leaving. Hermione smiled. 

“So, what do you want to get?” She asked the confused looking boy beside her. 

“Erm…I don’t know. Just a few shirts, maybe some pants?” 

Hermione rolled her eyes. “I know that, Black! Just pick whichever you like. We’ve got enough money for ice-cream later.”

Regulus tensed. Hermione made a mental note not to call him by his last name. He walked over to a row of shirts. “How about these ones?” 

He held up a Nirvana shirt. Hermione shrugged. “Alright.” 

Regulus put a total of three Nirvana shirts in their cart and threw in an equal amount of pants. 

“That’s it? That’s all you’re getting?” 

“Yeah,” Regulus didn’t seem to understand why Hermione was getting so agitated. “What’s wrong with them?”

“You’re gonna wear a Nirvana shirt all day, every day?” 

Regulus shrugged. “I like the face.” 

Hermione groaned. “At least pick another Not-Nirvana shirt!” 

“Fine!” He picked a plain black shirt and threw it in the cart. 

Hermione scowled. They both glared at each other for a solid minute. 

“If you lot are done with your staring contest, I’d like to get out of here.” Ron said, exasperated.

“Fine,” Hermione walked over to pay for the clothes. “Do you even know Nirvana?” She asked Regulus. 

“Of course, I know what Nirvana is, I’m not a bloody fool,” He said, taking offence. “Nirvana is a a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It’s a common concept in Buddhism.” He finished haughtily. 

The cashier stared at Regulus with a mixture of amusement and disgust. _‘Who doesn’t know Nirvana?’_ She whispered to herself. 

Hermione laughed while Ron looked at him sympathetically. 

“I’ll lend you some of my CDs when we get home. I think you’ll like them.” 

After they left British Home Stores, they walked to the ice-cream place. 

The bell jingled as they entered. ABBA was playing in the background. 

“What do you want to get?” Hermione asked. “Chocolate for me.” Ron answered. 

She turned to the man behind the counter. “One chocolate ice-cream and one vanilla please- Regulus, what do you want?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“What do you mean, you don’t know? There’s a menu there, if you want to check.” Ron said. 

“I mean, I’ve never eaten ice-cream before.” Regulus shrugged. “But the chocolate looks good.” 

The cashier tried not to stare at Regulus as he took down their orders. 

“You’ve never had ice-cream before?” Ron asked, horrified. 

Regulus didn’t answer him. 

Ron, Hermione and Regulus took a seat by the window. 

“So, how long have you been together?” Regulus asked. 

Hermione looked positively horrified while Ron just blushed and took a scoop of his ice-cream. “Oh, no, no. we’re not together.” Hermione sputtered. 

Regulus smiled knowingly. “Ah.”

_____

It was safe to say Sirius was amused when his brother came down the stairs wearing a Nirvana shirt and muggle jeans. “Looking like a teenager every day, eh?” 

“I’m not a teenager, I’m of age.” Regulus rolled his eyes, making a beeline for the kitchen.

“Ah tut tut tut,” Molly ushered him out the kitchen. “There’s an order meeting going to happen soon.” 

“Well, that’s all the better. We need a solid plan to find these horcruxes and defeat Voldemort.”

“Oh, dearie, I’m not sure you should be in the meeting. It’s not meant for young ears.” Molly smiled sweetly. 

“Molly, I’m no more than 4 years younger than you!” Regulus cried out. “Plus, you’ll need me. I may know what the other horcruxes are!”

“I think you should let the boy join, Molly.” Remus spoke up. Regulus looked up to realize the entire Order was staring at him now. “He’s not your son, he can do anything he wants. If he wants to join the Order, then so be it.” 

“Thank you, Lupin!” Regulus cried triumphantly. Molly just shook her head. And so, the meeting started. 

_____

Harry couldn’t stay angry at his friends for long. If Dumbledore asked Ron and Hermione not to tell him anything, he must have a good reason, right? They were currently leaning over the staircase, trying to listen to the meeting with Fred and George’s magic ear. 

“-We’re all like sitting ducks here!” A new voice Harry didn’t recognize cried out. 

“That’s Sirius’ brother, Regulus Black.” Ginny whispered to him. “He’s nice, I like him.” 

“Regulus Black? Didn’t he die?” Harry asked. Sirius had told him about his brother sometime around 4th year.

“No, mate. He’s back. Apparated all the way from 1978, Dumbledore says.” Fred informed him. 

“Reggie, calm down.” Sirius attempted to calm his brother down. 

“Calm down? Sirius, are you listening to yourself? I know you’re the optimistic one out of us but really? The more we wait to find the horcruxes, the more people will die!” 

“Yes, but Dumbledore didn’t tell us about any horcruxes. Why would we trust you?” That voice was Tonks’. Harry blinked in surprise. Tonks rarely ever raised her voice. 

“Listen, I know the circumstances might not be ideal but please. I died trying to destroy one, remember? Where’s Kreacher? He will have the locket, if he couldn’t destroy it.” 

“Kreacher comes and goes as he pleases. I don’t care about him.” Sirius said nonchalantly. Hermione frowned beside Harry, probably thinking of S.P.E.W. 

“But I still don’t think it would be wise to trust you.” Tonks huffed. 

“Tonks, you’re my cousin. I wouldn’t lie to you-”

“ _You’re no cousin of mine.”_ Tonks spat. 

The room was silent for a while. Finally, Molly spoke. 

“Arthur? Remus? What do you think of all this? You’ve been awfully silent.” 

“I think we should trust the lad. Dumbledore can’t always be right. If there are really these- these horcruxes, then we should destroy them.” Remus stuttered. 

Harry could almost hear Sirius’ brother smile. 

“I dunno, Lupin. I trust Dumbledore more than a former death eater, no offence to you, son.” Arthur said. 

Regulus huffed. “Fine, then. Let the blood be on your hands,” There were footsteps. “Though, I remember the Order being much more effective back then.” 

Arthur said something but they couldn’t hear it for Crookshanks nibbled at the magic ear before yanking it off the thread. 

“ _No, Crookshanks_!” Hermione whispered. 

“Ugh, I hate that bloody cat.” Ron whispered to him. 

A handsome young man burst out the door at the second. He must be Regulus, Harry thought. The man knelt beside Crookshanks. 

“Hullo, Crookshanks,” He ruffled the cat’s ear. “You believe me, don’t you? Of course, you do. You’re the sweetest cat in the whole world, aren’t you?”

Harry wanted to gag. He had been around Crookshanks for the better part of 2 years yet couldn’t even stand to be near it, much less pet it. 

Regulus came up the stairs, unsurprised to find the children huddled on the staircase. 

“You must be Sirius’ godson, then?” He addressed Harry. Regulus’ voice seemed hollow, defeated. Not at all like the passionate voice he heard in the meeting a minute ago. 

Harry nodded. “You must be Sirius’ brother?” 

“Yes. See you ‘round, then.” He started making his way up the stairs, probably going to his room. 

“Hey, Regulus?” Fred called out to him. 

“Just so you know, we believe you.” George finished. Regulus chuckled. 

“Thanks, kiddos.” 

“We’re only a year younger than you, you twat!” Fred cried out.

Regulus burst out laughing at that. 

“Harry, my boy!” A voice called out to him from down the stairs. 

“Sirius!” Harry ran to his godfather. 

“Nice little family reunion we have here, eh Reggie?” Sirius called out to his brother. 

Regulus rolled his eyes. “I’m going to bed.”

“But what about dinner?” Molly shouted up the stairs. 

Regulus waved his hand. “Feed it to all the people who’re going to die, why don’t you?” 

Harry decided he liked Regulus. Sirius laughed.


	3. Paint it Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry has his trial; Regulus finally does something; Kreacher and Regulus get along grandly; Harry discovers something about himself; Everyone learns something about Voldemort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is taken from the song - Paint it Black by The Rolling Stones. 
> 
> Hope you like the chapter!!

“Now, you have to remember that the Ministry thinks you are in the wrong and they’ll do anything to prove it. They’re probably not going to let you give your statement either.”

Regulus and Harry sat on the kitchen table, the bright morning sunshine illuminating the fat books and papers spread across the surface. 

Regulus, in an attempt to bond with his god-nephew, asked to give him some pointers on his upcoming trial. To be frank, Harry was grateful for it. 

Nobody else in the House seemed to acknowledge the fact that Harry had to attend a trial. They kept pushing it away, subtly leaving the room when he brought it up. Regulus was the only one who saw it like it was – The Ministry trying to make it seem like Harry was insane to cover up the events of last year. 

“But that isn’t fair!” 

“I agree, the Ministry’s whack.” 

By now – at half past 9 – almost all of the inhabitants of Grimmauld Place have arrived in the kitchen for breakfast. 

Tonks gave Regulus a venomous glance as she sat down on the counter. Sirius sat on the table, happily gulping down toast and tea with all the grace and elegance of a rampaging hippogriff. Ron and Hermione were giggling about something and Ginny hasn’t come down yet. 

Harry laughed and was about to say something when – “Master- Master Regulus?” 

Several heads scowled and turned to the doorway to look at the house elf. 

“By the Lord, Kreacher!” Regulus practically leapt out of his chair and tackled the dirt-covered elf with a hug. 

“No, no, Master Regulus must not hug Kreacher, he will track mud on himself!” The elf cried frantically. 

“Oh, I don’t care about that, Kreacher!” Regulus pulled away. “I’m just glad to see you!” 

“Merlin, you flatter him too much, brother.” 

“Yeah, well, at least he was there for me from the start, eh?” 

Hermione looked absolutely delighted to see the bond between Regulus and Kreacher, probably thinking of different ways to integrate it with S.P.E.W. 

“Master Regulus is back!” Kreacher exclaimed. 

Regulus laughed. “I am!” 

“Ask him about the thing.” Tonks said, referring to the locket. 

“Oh, yes, Kreacher? Were you able to destroy the horcrux?” 

Kreacher shook his head sadly. “I tried with all my might; it couldn’t be destroyed. I’m sorry, Master Regulus.” 

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about. I did suspect the thing would be hard to destroy.” 

See, Kreacher was his friend. Correction – Kreacher was his only friend. He was the one who got Regulus through all those years alone with his mother after Sirius left.   
The thing that really pushed Regulus off the edge and into the idea of betraying the Dark Lord was Kreacher. Hell, Kreacher was the reason Regulus even knew about horcruxes. 

“Should I get the locket now?” Kreacher asked. 

“No, let’s wait till I get a chance to talk to Dumbledore.” 

And with that, Kreacher left the kitchen and four curious Order heads turned to look at Regulus. 

“What,” Ron seemed surprised. “Was that?” 

“That was Kreacher.” Regulus shrugged and went back to looking over ‘Magical Laws (1545-1845 edition)’ to help Harry with his trial. 

_____

It was finally the morning of September 1st and the students were leaving for their year at Hogwarts. The Black brothers were upset that they couldn’t accompany them to the platform though Regulus understood the reason behind it. What if Malfoy or Nott or Parkinson saw him and decided to convey the matter to their parents and they, in turn, would convey it to Voldemort? 

No, it was much better if the Death Eaters did not know about the Black Brothers. 

Over the course of the year, Regulus kept in touch with Harry through letters. Most of his letters were general advice like – use the secret passageway on the 5th floor instead of the one on 4th floor, the Hogwarts elves love to feed students at midnight and how not to die 101. 

Most of Harry’s letters were him ranting about his pink toad of a Defence teacher and sarcastic retorts to Regulus’ advice. 

When he was not writing to Harry, Ron and Hermione or goofing off with his brother, Regulus and Kreacher worked on the seemingly indestructible horcrux. 

The Order members took a so-called “moral stand” and refused to help until they got direct instructions from Dumbledore about the existence of horcruxes, which Regulus could not see happening for Dumbledore refused to acknowledge any of them. Sirius dropped by now and then, but seemed utterly confident that he couldn’t do anything to help. 

Through his letters, Harry told him about the diary he destroyed in second year which seemed to peak Regulus’ interest. Harry seemed confident the basilisk’s rotting body was still in the chamber and he could mail him one of its fangs. 

True to his words, a week later, Regulus received a brown paper package tied up with string and a very strongly worded letter from Harry. 

Apparently, Harry got caught roaming the halls well past midnight and was stuck in detention for what seemed like the 234th time that month. But at least he got the fang!

That night, after dinner, Regulus and Kreacher sat in his dimly lit room with the locket and the fang. 

“Ready, Kreacher?” 

The addressed nodded. 

Regulus lay the locket on the cold floor and with all his might, stabbed it with the basilisk fang. 

A high screech pierced the silence and a soft, glowing light filled the entire room for a flash of a second and then it was gone. That’s it. The locket was destroyed. A part of Voldemort- No, a part of Tom’s soul has been destroyed. 

The next morning seemed criminally normal. Unlike he expected, nobody in the House knew that the horcrux has been destroyed until Regulus said so. 

“So, I destroyed the horcrux yesterday.” He took a bite from his toast. 

Molly and Arthur looked stunned, Moody grinned, Tonks scowled and Sirius right out laughed. 

“You did it! You crazy swot, you did it!” Sirius cried and jumped to ruffle his brother’s hair. 

“Wha- When- _How_?” Molly stuttered. 

“With no help from you, of course.” Regulus wiped his hands with his handkerchief and left the kitchen, leaving a dumbfounded room in his wake. 

_____

Christmas came after not long after that. Arthur got into a Voldemort-related accident at the Ministry so the Weasley kids and Harry, who looked utterly traumatized, came home sooner than holidays began for the rest of the school. 

The Weasleys took a trip to St. Mungo’s the next morning, leaving Harry, Sirius and Regulus in the house. 

Sirius was too busy drinking away his loneliness in the kitchen while Harry sat on the couch, looking terribly sick. 

“Everything okay, Harry?” 

“What would you do if…you were the attacker?” 

“What? That makes no sense. Did something happen?” 

And so, Harry told him. He told him everything. He told him about his Occlumency lessons (a talk with Snape he’d missed while working on the horcrux), he told him about Voldemort’s voice and how he was the snake who attacked Mr. Weasley. 

Regulus blinked for a second and then frowned. 

“What? Do you think I’m Voldemort? Do you think I’m evil? Do you think I’m…going mad?” 

Regulus looked at Harry and laughed. 

“No, mate. I do not think you’re going mad. And why on Earth would you think it’s your fault you were the snake? Damn, you Gryffindors are dumber than I thought.”

“Hey!” Harry retorted at the last part. 

Regulus thought for a second. “Wait, you said when Voldy,” Harry smirked at the play on the Dark Lord’s name. “tried to kill you, he left a scar?” 

Harry nodded and pushed his hair apart to show his lightning scar. 

“What if…yeah, that’s fairly possible!” 

“What? What’s possible?” 

“Harry, what if the scar’s a part of a horcrux? What if he unwillingly left a part of his soul in you when he tried to kill you? That explains why he was so weak after.” 

It was safe to say Harry looked positively horrified. “What? Regulus, this is insane!” 

“Well, it does no harm in checking it out.” He shrugged. 

“Oh, by all means, please plunge a basilisk’s fang in me, everyone would love that!” 

Regulus laughed. “I’m not going to plunge a fang in you. You’d die within a minute.” 

“But I got bitten by a basilisk and Professor Dumbledore’s phoenix healed me!” Harry insisted. 

“If we get the phoenix to heal you, there’s no point in destroying the horcrux. It’s just be healed when the phoenix heals you.”

“So, you’re telling me I have to die to kill Voldemort?” Harry said sullenly. 

“Not necessarily, no. Death is complicated. It’s likely that only the horcrux will die and you’ll probably be fine.”

“Then why don’t we-”

“No, we’re not taking any risks until we have all the information we can get.” Regulus held up his hand with finality that meant this conversation is over. 

The Weasleys came soon after that and they had lunch. Harry didn’t mention his conversation with Regulus. 

All through lunch, the Weasleys badmouthed Voldemort and Regulus joined in. 

“I’m pretty sure he cried once, with Malfoy in the room.” There was a burst of laughter. 

“Say, Regulus?” Ginny giggled over her lunch. “How do you talk about him so casually? Didn’t you serve him until like a year ago?” 

Regulus frowned. “If you think about it, there’s nothing to be afraid of. He’s only an old hypocrite.”

Hermione looked confused. “Hypocrite how?” 

“He’s a half blood, of course.” There was silence. 

“What?” the twins asked, confused. 

“Well, the diary turned out to be a horcrux, a place where Tom Marvolo Riddle stored a part of his soul. So, obviously, Tom Riddle is Voldemort.”

The teenagers looked aghast. 

“How did I not think of this?” 

Regulus continued – “Naturally, I did some research and found out Tom Marvolo Riddle was from an orphanage. He was the last of the Gaunt bloodline, son of a squib and a muggle.”

“Son of a squib and a muggle-born?” Ron laughed. 

“No, not a muggle-born. Son of a muggle.” 

There was silence for a minute before the angry cries started. 

“-that hypocrite-”

“-Piece of shi-”

“-Idiot!”

“Well, you all are taking this well.” Regulus commented and took a sip of his tea. 

_____

It was finally time for school to re-open and Regulus was sad to see everyone go. It was nice having a little company. 

“Go work those Dumbledore’s Army people, Harry!” Regulus shouted and earned a cheer from Sirius. 

“How do you know about that?” Harry asked, surprised. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Dumbledore’s boy.” Regulus cried dramatically and his brother laughed. 

Sirius clapped his godson’s back. “Try not to die, Harry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, that was it, folks! We're down to the last chapter now! I'll be taking a little longer for the final chapter, I wanna keep it as close to canon as possible. 
> 
> Does anyone have an intuition [eye emoji]?
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter!! 
> 
> Do consider leaving kudos or comments if you liked it, it makes my day :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!! Thanks for taking a chance with this fic!
> 
> Do consider leaving kudos or a comment if you liked it :)


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